


Growing up a Gordon

by Carinna_Nebula



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 17:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12392685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carinna_Nebula/pseuds/Carinna_Nebula
Summary: Oneshot;When Becky picked up that phone and said "hello" to Oswald Cobblepott, their lives changed forever. When Jim adopted Becky, he swore to protect her from the Gotham he knew. Up until now, he had been successful. He knew he couldn't protect her forever; he knew this day would come, but he didn't think it would come so soon, or in this way.





	Growing up a Gordon

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where Gotham is going with this, but in most incarnations of Batman, Jim Gordon has a daughter named Barbara who becomes Batgirl. Since this show turns most of the character's backstories onto their heads, they'll probably have Batgirl come from somewhere completely different, but for now, Jim has a daughter who becomes Batgirl, although I've changed her name to "Becky" for obvious reasons.  
> I have no idea who Jim is going to end up with or if he'll end up with anyone, so I gave him an OC wife to keep things simple. 
> 
> And with that, I hope you enjoy the oneshot!

Oswald Cobblepott, now known by most as "the Penguin", sat at the rear table in one of the Iceberg Lounge, glaring at the garish ice sculpture of an emperor penguin which had replaced a frozen Ed Nygma. He was having "one of his moods", as indicated by the Cuban cigar that dangled from his fingers. His employees knew to avoid meeting his eyes when he was like this, as the last person to do so ended up in the hospital with a crab-knife lodged in his back. The man lived of course, but no one wanted to end up like him. Best to watch oneself.  
He took a puff on the cigar; he wasn't sure when or why exactly he had taken up the habit, but now smoking was all he could do to keep himself calm on days like the one he was having.  
Twelve of his men busted, twelve! In one evening, nonetheless! That had to be a new record. None of them had been stupid enough to roll over on him, not yet at least, but he knew that if Captain Jim Gordon had his way it would happen sooner rather than later.  
Jim Gordon he thought, taking a long drag on the cigar. The man gets a promotion and now he thinks he's God's gift to Gotham!  
He knew he should kill him for pulling a stunt like this, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, if he had Jim killed one of the goody-cops from his precinct would replace him; it wouldn't solve anything. No, it would be much more lucrative to have Jim in his pocket, what he needed was dirt.  
_Every man has a dirty little secret, right? _As it turned out, he would discover his old friend's sooner than he thought.__  
"Mr. Cobblepott."  
"What!?" He snapped, looking up. He found himself looking at a tall man with tanning booth orange skin, dark brown hair and a gap-toothed smile. "Can I help you, Luca?" He asked.  
"Sorry to bother you Sir" he said throatily "you told us to look for some info on James Gordon?"  
"Yes I did. Get to the point."  
"Well, Rafael was walking around the city recently and he saw something he thought you'd want to know about," he withdrew a small stack of photographs from his back pocket "even managed to snap some photos, clever kid right?"  
Eying him coldly, he took the photographs from Luca.  
The color on the first photo was crude and splotchy suggesting that Rafael had been using an instant camera, but the image was clear. It was an innocent, charming picture of a family. To the right was a man in his early forties, his hair was graying but still showed streaks of its original dull blonde. He smiled out of the corner of his mouth as he did when he mugged for a photo, but the corners of his eyes crinkled. To his left was a laughing woman who was around the same age as him. She wore a beige pantsuit and her red curly hair ran down her back. They each held the hand of a little girl. She looked like she was five or six. Her blonde hair was kept in two loose plaits at the back of her head, she wore a light blue dress, black clogs and a pink backpack.  
“Hmm…” Oswald put the photograph down and looked at the second one. It depicted the same three people standing on the stairs of what looked like a school. The man was on one knee giving the little girl a hug while the woman stood off to the side smiling, probably waiting her turn. Both had happy tears in their eyes. The third photo was a wide shot of the school, which was a plain brick building. The sign out front read “East Gotham Elementary School.” This wasn’t dirt, this was much better.  
The Penguin snuffed out the cigar on the table and looked sharply at Luca "fetch Rafael," he demanded.  
"Right away sir." He walked off briskly to the back of the club and through a door marked "employees only." He came back not two minutes later with a young, disheveled looking, man. His normally fair skin was a shade lighter than usual and his shoulders were rolled in; he was nervous, or appeared to be at least.  
Luca marched the boy up to his employer, "here he is Boss," he said, putting his hands on Rafael's shoulders.  
Oswald looked at him blankly "hello Rafael," he said.  
"Hello" he replied, his eyes pointing everywhere except at his face.  
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Demanded Oswald, and he immediately did as he was told.  
He held up the photo for the two of them to see. "Good work" he said; he pulled a brown leather wallet from his pocket and withdrew a crisp hundred-dollar bill, "now go buy yourself something nice."  
He looked at the bill as if were a sight to behold; finally, he smiled sheepishly and squeaked "thanks" before running off. Luca shook his head, "nervous as a race horse that one."  
Oswald inwardly scoffed. He saw a lot of himself in that boy, and that's why he was suspicious of all the "timid young man" crap. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him, keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.  
That could wait, for now, he had some research to do.  
...  
"Make a wish!"  
The little girl shut her eyes, and blew as hard as she could at her birthday cake, blowing out all six candles and sending a little bit of vanilla frosting splattering onto her daddy's shirt. Her mommy winked at him from across the table as they cheered.  
"What did you wish for?" He asked, discreetly wiping the frosting from his shirt. Not missing a beat, Mommy, whose real name was Anna, clapped a hand over their daughter's mouth, "Jim" she laughed, "you know that's bad luck."  
Jim, who was not a superstitious man, shrugged and said "yeah, I guess it is." He reached under the table and pulled out a slim box dressed with red wrapping paper.  
Anna tried not to laugh when she saw he had wrapped it in Christmas paper despite it being the middle of March, but in his defense red was their daughter's favorite color.  
"Happy Birthday Becky," he said,  
Her eyes lit up "what is it Daddy? What is it?"  
"Open it."  
Jim smiled to himself. Six years already. Becky squeezed her new teddy bear to her chest, “thank you!”  
“You’re welcome.”  
The phone rang. Becky looked at her parents, as they always answered the phone. “Why don’t you answer it?” Said Anna.  
Her eyes widened, “really?”  
“Just pick up the phone, press the green button and say ‘hello.’”  
She ran as fast as her short legs could carry her and picked up the phone. “Hello?” She asked much too loudly, “hi Grandma!” After a short pause Becky very quietly said “oh, okay.”  
Her parents chuckled.  
“Is she really six years old?” Anna asked Jim.  
“Hard to believe” said Jim.  
…  
Becky and Anna’s mother talked for well over half an hour, until Becky remembered that there was a cake with her name on it sitting on the kitchen table. Two hours later, when the cake had been eaten and the torn bits of wrapping paper had been thrown away, the three of them were sitting on the sofa watching a movie. It was some Disney movie that Becky had seen before, what was its name again? As the main character rejected her muscular suitor for the second time, the phone rang again. Becky shot up excitedly, “can I answer it?”  
Jim and Anna looked at each other, “sure” they said in unison.  
Becky ran to the phone in the kitchen, “hello?”  
“Hello, is this the Gordon residence?” Asked the voice on the other end. It was a man’s voice, higher pitched and kind of crackly but his tone was warm.  
“Yes, it is, this is Rebecca Gordon speaking” Said Becky in a perfect imitation of her mother, “may I ask who’s calling?”  
“My name is Oswald” he said sweetly, “You’re Jim’s daughter?”  
“That’s me!”  
“Do you remember me?” If Becky had been older she might have detected the insincerity in his voice and been suspicious, instead she put a finger to her chin and said,  
“Umm….”  
“I don’t suppose you would, you were only two when I last saw you. How old are you now, five?”  
“I’m six years old today!”  
“Oh, happy birthday” said Oswald with forced enthusiasm, “six years old, that would make you what, a Kindergartener?”  
“Nope, I’m in first grade!”  
In the next room, Jim and Anna looked at each other uncertainly, “I… don’t think that’s Grandpa calling,” said Anna.  
Oswald laughed “I imagine the apartment is getting a bit small for the three of you?”  
“We live in a house now, silly!”  
Jim and Anna’s eyes widened, “Becky,” Said Jim, standing up from the couch  
“Hold on a second” Becky lowered the phone and looked at him, “yes Daddy?”  
“Who are you talking to?”  
“What’s your name again?” She asked,  
“Oswald Cobblepott” said Oswald slowly and deliberately.  
“Cobblepott?” She laughed, “that’s a funny name!”  
Jim ran up to her “give me that!” He shouted, taking the phone from her and almost yanking it out of the wall in the process, “would you go…sit with your mother please?” He said to Becky as calmly as he could. She nodded numbly, walked back to the den and sat back on the couch.  
Jim mouthed the words shut the door at Anna. When the door was closed, he put the phone to his ear, “Oswald Cobblepott?” He asked, praying that he had heard her wrong.  
“Hello,” No such luck.  
“You son of a bitch.”  
Oswald continued as though he hadn’t heard him, “she’s very sweet; you’re a lucky man.”  
“What do you want?” Jim snarled.  
“Why don’t you look outside your front door for a second, Jim?”  
Jim went to the safe in his bedroom, unlocked it, and withdrew a pistol. Anna heard the _click, click _of the gun being loaded from behind the door and held Becky closer to her. He cautiously walked to the front door and opened it. There was a fat envelope sitting on the ground outside the door, with the words JAMES GORDON scrawled onto it in black marker.__  
He picked it up and opened it, a stack of photographs slid out. He flipped through them; most of them featured him and Anna, but Becky was clearly the subject. There were photographs of the three of them outside her school, there was one of her swinging across the monkey bars with a friend, there was even one of her getting onto the school bus at the end of the day. At the very bottom of the envelope was a copy of Becky’s adoption papers.  
“You found them, didn’t you?” Asked Oswald, “Rebecca Dawn Gordon is a lovely name.”  
“If you come anywhere near my daughter…”  
The Penguin laughed; years of tobacco smoking and various injuries had made it an uncomfortable sounding mixture of a cough and a squawk. “Why would I do that?”  
“My family- “  
“Believe me, I know how important family is, besides, she’s only a child” there was a short pause “as I said, I have no intention of harming your daughter in any way. Don’t give me a reason to.”  
The line went dead.  
Jim slowly lowered the phone back onto the receiver. _Damn._  
He opened the door to the den, the movie was long over. “Becky” said Jim, “would you go to your room for a little while? Your mother and I need to talk.”  
“…Okay” said Becky.  
When they were sure she was out of ear shot, Jim sat down next to Lee.  
“Who was that?” Anna asked.  
Jim took a deep breath, “that… was Oswald Cobblepott.”  
Her eyes widened; that was a name she recognized.  
“What?!” Anna exclaimed, “how did he find us?”  
“I don’t know; there’s something else,” he handed her the envelope, “take a look at these.”  
She opened the envelope and looked at its contents, “oh my god…” she put them down and looked at him, “Jim, why is he threatening our daughter?” She asked pointedly, “I know you have a history with him…”  
“I haven’t seen him in years,” said Jim “but a lot of his men were arrested this week, including his right-hand man. That can’t have pleased him.”  
“What did he say when you talked to him?”  
“He said ‘I have no intention of harming your daughter, just don’t give me a reason to.’”  
Anna swallowed hard, trying not to panic. She took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, “well one thing’s for sure; we need to tell the school faculty in case someone tries to get to her there, we should probably tell Jodie too.” Jodie was Becky’s babysitter.  
Jim ran his hands over his face, “should we tell Becky?”  
“We have to tell her something.”  
Jim sighed, “okay.”  
Lee nodded, “okay.”  
They stood up and walked to the door, just as Anna was about to open it,  
“Anna, wait,” said Jim.  
Anna turned around, “yes?”  
“I’ll tell her.”  
“What?”  
“I’m the reason she’s in this mess, I should tell her.”  
Anna paused and thought about it, “okay.”  
…  
Becky lay curled up in bed with the covers drawn over her face. She had been crying; she didn’t like it when her parents were angry, even if they weren’t yelling at her it was kind of scary. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to go to sleep. Just when she had started to drift off she heard a soft knocking at the door,  
“Becky?”  
“Yes?”  
The door opened and Jim peeked his head in, “Becky, I need to talk to you about something” he said.  
Becky sat up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest, “okay.”  
He sat down on the side of the bed in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder, “you okay?” He asked.  
“Did I do something wrong?” She whimpered.  
“No, no” he thought for a moment and shrugged, “well, you shouldn’t tell people personal information like your age over the phone unless you know them, but that’s not your fault, I should have told you that.”  
“Then why were you mad at me?”  
“Sweetheart, I wasn’t mad at you, I was worried.”  
“About what?”  
_Here we go, _thought Jim. He looked her in the eye, “sweetie, I’m going to tell you something very important. Not everyone is good.”__  
“I know that,” said Becky, pouting, “Tommy DeLuca isn’t good.”  
Jim almost smiled, “I hope that the worst people you meet are bullies like Tommy, but there are people who are a lot worse than him.” He took a deep breath, “and that man you talked to on the phone, Oswald Cobblepott, is one of the worst people in Gotham.”  
Becky’s jaw dropped, “What? B-but, he sounded nice...”  
“That’s the thing; sometimes bad people seem nice.”  
“What did he do?”  
“He’s…mostly a thief” he carefully considered what he should tell her and what he shouldn’t, “but, he’s not above hurting people  
Becky was squeezing her teddy bear against her chest as if it held her soul, “why did he call us?”  
Jim decided to tell her a partial truth, “he doesn’t like me very much; he was trying to talk to me,” he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, “but, if he ever calls again, I want you to hang up and tell Mommy or me right away. If we’re not home from work yet, tell Jodie, she’ll know what to do. Can you promise me you’ll do that?”  
Becky nodded, “okay” she said in a small voice.  
“Okay,” he muttered, “come here”  
They hugged. That night, when he was sure Anna and Becky were sleeping, Jim sat on the couch in the living room, and cried. Up until now he’d been able to protect Becky from Gotham. When they had adopted her, he had sworn to keep her as far away as possible from his world for as long as he could. He knew he couldn’t protect her forever, he knew this day would come, he just didn’t think it would come so soon, or in this way.

**Author's Note:**

> Gotham and its characters are the property of FOX


End file.
